Fleur de Lys
by MamaMeu
Summary: Fleur de Lys is a humanstuck story about Gamzee Makara and Nepeta Leijon's developing romance, as well as their ancestors' Kurloz Makara and Meulin Leijon. The story takes place in modern/past day New Orleans, and involves a web of voodoo and betrayal. (No Makaracest. You'll understand the chosen cover as you read.) I do not own Homestuck or it's characters. Cover credit: neukgolhs
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: Guess what kiddies, that's right, I'm back. I will not be updating and _The Silence of Our Tongues_ anytime soon (It will happen, I promise.), but I can say that a few changes to my account have been made for those who haven't noticed. I have taken down all of my non-Homestuck material, and am only going to post Makara & Lejion material from now on. (The dedication is fur-real.) I can assume that it won't get as many reads as some of my previous material thanks to Hussie's giga-pause, but then again he did just update so who knows. In honor of that, I am updating as well. (Woot woot.)

This story was still a work in progress, but I have plenty to post this time so no worries. It was inspired by my recent trip to New Orleans, voodoo, witchcraft, dark magic, Homestuck, southern culture, and even the third season of _American Horror Story: Coven_. This work is a Nepeta/Gamzee and Meulin/Kurloz piece. It takes place in two separate time periods of New Orleans (present and past) and will be marked by the year/s. There are some other minor shippings in here, including scourge-sisters. (Something I never, ever thought I would write.) This will contain graphic imagery, violence, and death. There will be no smut, because I am writing true to the past time period and for the purity of the story itself. I hope you all enjoy.

**2013**

Nepeta stepped out of the airport doors, one sneaker covered foot after the other, and into the humid air that cloaked the city of New Orleans like a wet blanket. A large smile plastered itself across her face at the sight of her two closest friends awaiting for her at the sidewalk's edge. The couple were relaxing against the car door, and when Vriska leaned over to tell Terezi that Nepeta had found them, the redhead jumped up and began waving in the wrong direction. The young woman giggled as she neared the pair and overheard the last of their conversation.

"No you idiot, she's right in _front_ of you! Not _to_ your right!"

"Oops." Terezi snorted before waving in the proper direction right before the Leo stopped in front of them. "Hey girl. Glad you made it here in one piece."

"Oh yeah Terezi, let's joke about planes blowing up in an airport. _Real_ smart." Vriska commented, even tossing in her signature eye roll to accompany her sarcastic tone.

The three had hit it off online after the discovery in their shared interest for roleplaying and flarping. After a few years of roleplaying with one another, the three had agreed to meet face to face for the first time at an actual flarping convention. Vriska and Terezi had hit it off, and now the pair were going on three years. Nepeta and the girls often visited one another, but this was the first time that Nepeta had come all the way to Louisiana to stay with them.

"Feeling hungry yet?" Terezi questioned Nepeta, "Because I'm starving!"

With a bubbling laugh, Nepeta shook her head, "Terezi you are always hungry, but honestly girls, I could really use a nap before anything."

"Oh, sure thing. Here let me help you with your bags," Terezi paused and touched Vriska's shoulder, "Vriska, help Nepeta with her bags."

Scoffing, Vriska gave a toss of her blonde hair, letting it smack Terezi in the face before picking up Nepeta's bags and putting them into the trunk of the car. Nepeta couldn't resist but to laugh at the look of shock on the red head's face as she stumbled back, sputtering from the taste of her girlfriend's hair in her mouth. After a few minutes of smacking her lips, Terezi snickered over how Vriska's shampoo tasted like blueberries, and shuffled herself into the backseat of the car.

Nepeta sat in the front beside Vriska on the way back to the girls' apartment, and immediately the three of them began to discuss the things that each of them had missed out in one another's lives. Over the past few years, Terezi had become interested in teaching pre-law, while Vriska had given up hustling and taken a liking to studying arachnids at the local college. Nepeta on the other hand hadn't figured out what exactly she wanted to do. Her step-brother Equius had been pressuring her to finish college, now that she was twenty-two, but Nepeta couldn't seem to settle on anything she wanted to truly do for the rest of her life.

"Ah, so today is Sunday, and Mardi Gras starts on Tuesday, but the party will be going on for a while. Tonight we will eat down by the river, Monday you and Terezi can hang since I have work, and then we will all go out again on Mardi Gras night. Only problem is, we may not be able to give you the full New Orleans tour until after Mardi Gras is long over." Vriska commented as she flipped her turn signal on.

"You're going to love it Nepeta! Drinking, partying, loud annoying people… What else could you ask for?!" Terezi grinned like a fool in the backseat.

"Well… It's a lot different from Montana, I'll give you that." Nepeta stated softly, her eyes wandering outside the window at the vastly different architecture that surrounded the area.

Eventually the three girls arrived in the French Quarter where Vriska and Terezi's apartment stood above a small café. After unpacking her things from the car, Vriska and Nepeta followed shortly behind Terezi, whom led the way up with her cane clattering against the floors and walls. Her thin fingers roamed over the doorknob, clicking in the key and giving it a twist before making room for the other two to enter.

Vriska helped Nepeta set her things down in the living room, pushed up her glasses to rub her left eye momentarily before speaking, "Sorry that you have to sleep on the futon Nepeta, but we cleared out the coat closet, so you can use that to hang your things, and the main bathroom is yours."

"Its fine Vriska, I have no complaints. I think I will unpack and then take a cat nap. What time do you guys want to head out?" Leijon asked, running her fingers through her pixie cut black hair.

"Well, its lunch time now, but if you aren't hungry then Terezi and I will take a walk down to Jackson Square and eat a picnic or something," muttered the Scorpio as if embarrassed by what she was saying.

"Pfft…" snorted Terezi, about to make a smartass comment if it weren't for Nepeta.

"That sounds perfect Vris, but shouldn't that only take an hour or two?"

"Yeah, well we also need to pick up some groceries, so that could take another hour or two. After that it should be a bit past five so sounds like a good time to go out." Vriska shrugged as if she didn't really care, quickly building up that annoyance she often held onto.

"I'll grab the sandwiches!" Terezi called, already making her way to the fridge.

"Oh, no you don't! Last time you put mustard on mine instead of mayonnaise! Not even _I_ could make that mistake if I were blind!" Vriska cried out in horror as she ran after her girlfriend and into the kitchen that stood connected to the living room.

Nepeta laughed as she watched the pair fight over the bread, before Terezi stole a kiss from the taller one's lips, and Vriska slowly allowed herself to melt into it. Honestly, the Leo was still surprised she hadn't seen it far before it had actually occurred. Part of the problem was that when the three of them had spent all that time online together. Often, Terezi and Vriska spent more time fighting to the death rather than discussing things like their shared interests. So, when the couple told her of their new found relationship together, Nepeta had been flabbergasted.

Unzipping the lid of her first suitcase, Nepeta began pulling out her clothes and separating them into what needed to be hung up and what needed to be put in the dresser they had provided for her beneath an intricately spun mirror that looked like it was shrouded in a metallic web. Her fingers ran over the delicate frame, obviously old from the signs of rusting and aging in particular spots. A frown crossed her lips as some odd pang of familiarity touched her when looking into that reflective glass, and for a moment she could have sworn she saw a pair of dark eyes looking back at her.

Terezi's voice interrupted Nepeta's train of thought, making the young woman jump, her hand flying to her heart to ease its frantic beating, "Nepeta we're heading out!"

"Sweet Jesus Terezi don't do that!" Terezi's cackling followed, but Nepeta ignored it and questioned, "Hey, where did this come from? It doesn't exactly go with the decorum you guys have in here." The Leo stated, as she looked around at the modern decorum of sharp angles, multiple shades of blue and an occasional bright red thrown in here and there.

Vriska and Terezi walked over to Nepeta's side, Vriska's mouth twisted up as if she were tasting something sour on her lips. "The owner of the café below us bought it thinking it would look good in his shop, but he didn't really have a place for it to go, so he gave it to us. We asked him who sold it to him, even tried to return it, but the lady who had it before said she didn't do refunds. I didn't believe that though. She seemed terrified if anything about getting the thing back in her hands."

"Vriska and I did a little research. Apparently this thing is a one of a kind and rumored to have belonged to Madame Laveau. I call bull crap on the whole thing though, if it was really hers then it would be worth a fortune." Terezi quipped, adjusting her light resistant glasses a bit.

"Who's Madame Laveau?" Nepeta asked, and found it startling that a shiver went down her spine when saying the name.

"The _voodoo_ queen of New Orleans." Vriska stated, rolling her eyes, she picked her wallet up, slipping it into her back pocket. "She died ages ago. Guess her voodoo wasn't strong enough to keep her alive." her fingers wiggled as if she were some child preforming a magic spell. "Come on Rezi, let's get moving. Feel free to make yourself at home Nepeta, we'll come back and pick you up in a couple of hours."

After the girls left, Nepeta quickly finished putting away her clothes, hanging her shirts and dresses, then folded her pants, pajamas, and undergarments. Nepeta put her hygienic possessions away in the bathroom drawers, then sat down on the futon's edge, staring at the coffee table for a moment. Her eyes traced the occasional coffee stain ring that marked the modern wood as she listened to the sounds of cars racing outside and peoples' voices hitting the window pane. Her eyes grew heavy, as she curled up on the couch, and ran through her list of contacts on her phone.

Finding Equius' name, Nepeta hit the call button and placed it to her ear. It rang four times before a deep voice rang out on the other side, "Equius speaking."

"Hey, I just wanted to let you know I got in safe." Yawned the young woman as sleep began to claim her.

"That's good to hear, are you already settled in?"

"Yes, the girls were very helpful…"

"You're falling asleep aren't you?" Equius questioned after a minute of silence.

"Yeah, a little…"

"I'll let you go then. Remember to be careful…"

"Alright Equius, I'll talk to you soon." The phone went silent, a beep sounding the finality of the call. Nepeta placed her cell phone onto the table, and let sleep take her in.


	2. Chapter 2

**2013**

Nepeta slipped her cream colored sweatshirt over her head and pushed each leg through her black skinny jeans, giving herself a once over, before pinching her cheeks to bring a little color to them. Her pixie cut hair went this way and that, but in hopes of showing some type of maintenance, she hooked her bangs back and clipped them with a bobby-pin. The young woman looked long and hard at herself, contemplating the sweatshirt after experiencing the humid summer air earlier that day, but decided on wearing it anyways since it should have been cooler now that the sun was setting and the shirt was surprisingly thin, slouching off her shoulders a bit even.

She took a few more minutes looking at herself in the mirror, deciding on nothing more than a bit of lip gloss to go with her bare face, before stepping outside the bathroom door and putting on her flats. Vriska came out of the bedroom, talking to Terezi about parking, while wearing one of her blue button-ups with its sleeves rolled up, and a pair of khaki shorts. Her girlfriend followed soon after, still wearing one of her sci-fi shirts and a pair of jean jeggings.

"I just think we should walk there. It's not that far, you can make it." Vriska commented as she pulled on a pair of Converse.

"Fine, if you say so." Mumbled Terezi, grabbing her cane.

"You guys ready to go?" questioned Nepeta while picking up her olive colored purse.

The couple replied with a united yes, and the three of them quickly made their way outside and onto the streets of New Orleans. Nepeta took it all in, absorbing the multiple cultures and eras crammed into one massive place. Just walking down a single street she could pass a skyscraper, followed by a classic French architecture, and finished off with a bit of old city brick. She was surprised how much she enjoyed the noisy and cluttered streets with their broken down sidewalks, and even found some sort of hidden familiarity in all of it. The girls walked along side one another across the pier and Vriska pointed out some of the big sights in the city such as the large steam boat that still worked its way down the river. The trio stopped inside of a costume store, trying on different masks and colored beads, each laughing at one another and the ridiculous sight they caused.

When it was about six in the evening, they found themselves in a food truck line that seemed to go on forever, and was colored in bright greens and dark indigo designs. "It's worth it, I promise." assured Terezi who had convinced the other two into trying it. "I had it the other day with Karkat."

"Oh, well if Karkat says it's good then I'm sure it's the best food in New Orleans..." Vriska sarcastically muttered in annoyance, even folding her arms over her chest for good measure.

Frowning, Terezi punched Vriska in the arm, earning a shout of pain before Nepeta interrupted. "I'm sorry, but are we talking about the same Karkat that you were dating when we first met online Terezi?"

"Yes. Jegus, just because we dated doesn't mean we can't be friends still. His friend runs it, and it's really good actually! They only serve these specialty sodas that come in all these delicious colors."

"Flavors Terezi, we discussed this. You can't taste colors you can only taste _flavors_." Fumed Vriska as they all stepped forward in the line, holding the third place arguing all the while.

Nepeta managed to get a good glance at the workers. At the front, taking orders was a tan boy with sandy brown hair that was cut into a Mohawk and tickled the back of his neck. He had warm brown eyes and a slight stutter in his voice, but a great smile. An Erl piercing stood at the bridge of his nose, followed by a septum, both giving him a fairly edgy look. The second male had his back turned to the ordering window, cooking and preparing food instead, but he looked like he was rather cramped in there with his height. On top of that, his unmanageable black hair that flipped this way and that only worsened the situation.

When they reached the window, Tavros grinned broadly at Terezi. "Hey girl! Good to see you again."

"If only I felt the same Tav," Terezi cracked back, both of them snorting a bit.

"Who's this?" the young man questioned, glancing over Nepeta but letting his eyes linger on Vriska for a bit too long, she simply responding with a scoff.

"The blondie is my girl Vriska, and the cute short stack is our friend Nepeta." Terezi commented, as if knowing that Tavros's eyes had been roaming where they should not. "Gamzee back there?"

"Oh uh, yeah. Yo Gam! Terezi is here," Tavros called back to the other male, turning to take his place at the grill and calling over his shoulder that it was nice to meet them.

When Gamzee turned, Nepeta quickly took in his face that earlier she had been denied. He was quite handsome, but in that dark manner that every girl knew was trouble. He had a lazy grin and dark eyes that sat along with his sharp features just right. He leaned out the window, and pulled out a pad of paper and pencil from his pocket before looking at Terezi.

"Hey wicked sister, I didn't expect to up and see you here without Karkat." Gamzee raised his fist, bumping it to the one that she had offered first.

"Nah, he's out on a date with his new girl. She's pretty cute, but in that bubbly nerd manner. Besides, I had to bring Vriska and our friend Nepeta here for some of your food." Terezi stated, leaning on her cane a bit.

Gamzee nodded to Vriska and then to Nepeta, his eyes lingering for a time, that caused his grin to broaden slightly. "Sup?"

Thankfully, Terezi drew his attention back to her and away from a flushing Nepeta who stood under the scrutiny of Vriska. "I am going to have the same as last time, cherry Faygo please. Then you should hook them up, okay? Nothing spicy for Vris though, or I'll be hearing about it for the rest of the night."

Vriska's mouth dropped in horror, but Gamzee just laughed. The two talked, and after a few minutes Gamzee had helped Vriska figure out just what she wanted, even tossing in a Razzle-Berry Faygo. After that, Nepeta and Gamzee were left alone. The line had seemingly died off at some point, and Vriska and Terezi had left her to find a place for them all to sit and eat.

"So, what do you like? I'm betting something sweet," he jested with a trouble-making wink before going back to all business. "We make some good pulled pork tacos if you like spicy, or I have some fantastic four cheese nachos, one of my personal favorites."

"I'll take the nachos…" Nepeta decided after biting on her lower lip momentarily.

A few minutes passed, and Gamzee handed her a plate full of nachos stacked high to the sky that left a lingering scent of deliciousness in her nose. She made a soft noise of appreciation, and Gamzee chuckled gently before handing her a sour apple Faygo. He enjoyed looking at her, not that she was the most awe-striking sight on the planet, but he found a humble beauty about her and could not deny a deeper unspoken attraction.

"How much do I owe you?" She asked, struggling to pull her wallet out of her purse while juggling the plate and drink.

Shrugging, Gamzee waved her off, "Don't worry about it, it's on the house." Nepeta insisted though, arguing that she didn't want to put him through any trouble, and finally Gamzee relinquished, "Okay fine, if you want to pay me then how about you show up for my gig tomorrow by docks, or you could just up and take a gentleman's offer and eat the nachos."

"Gig?" She asked in confusion, beginning to put away her wallet despite her hesitation to do so, "Like, a band?"

"No, not a band…" Gamzee faltered as he began shutting down everything inside the truck, wiping down the counters and waving off to a few passer-byes and the last of the costumers. In the back, Tavros loaded things off and on the truck, cleaning up his part as well. "It's a show, you'll just have to come by and see it to understand. So, fair deal?"

Nepeta pulled her mouth into a thin line, looking up at the handsome devil who stood before her, that tilted grin constantly remaining on his face as though he always knew what was going to happen next. She then looked back at Vriska and Terezi, who at this point where no longer paying any further attention to her, and then back to him. "I suppose," she stated after the lengthy consideration.

"Good. It starts at seven. It was nice to meet you Nepeta." Nodding towards her, Gamzee then turned his back and patted Tavros's shoulder, telling him he was going to count up the profits, before disappearing into the front of the truck.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: Make sure you are reading the dates. As for this time period, I will put in a few notes about characters, the names of objects or places you may not know, and other fun facts that have to do with the story. Since Gamzee and Nepeta are the main story line, it is very likely that the Kurloz and Meulin chapters will be fairly small.

For those who don't know... Madame Laveau, was and still is known today as the voodoo queen of New Orleans. It is said that if you mark an X on her grave and leave her an offering, that a wish might be granted. She was one of the most powerful women of the 1800's, and was known to create fear (blackmail often) in the many upper class citizens as a way of power. She ran a brothel and a coffee shop (not what you would think of today), and yes was indeed a hairdresser for some of the wealthiest white women in the city, which is to be believed how she obtain her power and secrets. She was a free woman when she immigrated to the America's, and had many lovers and children.

**Late 1860's**

"Kurloz!" Cried out a voice filled with motherly concern that echoed throughout the street of St. Anne. The great Madame continued to cry out in desire for some sort of response as she stood against the frail rot iron balcony and searched for her most prized possession.

"Boo." Kurloz whispered in her ear, his appearance unnoticed thanks to his ability climb up the balcony from the other side, and his approachment from behind, two things that the lady despised.

With a loud screech, Marie Laveau turned around and smacked her adoptive son across his arm, not bothering to hold back any form of resistance as she did so, "You know I hate it when you do that, damn it!" She cried out in mock anger that held no threat, despite how hard she tried. "Where have you been?! I sent your siblings out looking for you hours ago but they said you weren't in any of your usual spots..."

"Oh you know, just here and there." Kurloz replied as he followed Marie inside of the household, doing his best to seem aloof towards her questioning. Kurloz placed his top-hat and well-worn coat onto the hanger as he made multiple attempts to avoid her eyes.

Marie smacked his arm again.

"Don't you dare lie to me."

Kurloz scoffed in mock hurt, jumping back away from her strikes, "I'm not!" After a minute of meeting her heated gaze though, Kurloz groaned and rolled his eyes, "I was out seeing Porrim."

"I told you to stay away from that girl. She's nothing but trouble."

"I know, I know."

"Well why do you continue to disobey me then, hm?"

Shaking his head hopelessly, Kurloz raised his hands in surrender. "Nothing serious is going on between us Marie, you know that. I made you a promise, and I intend to keep it."

After a minute of eyeing him with those milk chocolate eyes of hers, Marie gave a 'humph,' and turned her back towards him, "I need you to take Mr. and Mrs. Smithers that remedy for the problem Mr. Smithers has been complaining of recently."

"But Ma-," he began, only to have her interrupt him.

"Take it or run the shop. Your choice." She stated with firm finality, as she began descending down the staircase and onto main floor, already knowing what his choice would be.

After her disappearance downstairs, Kurloz walked over to Marie's remedy table, and picked up the small vial full of a pinkish liquid, as well as the written letter addressed to Mr. Smithers. He slipped on his coat once more, placed the envelope and the vial inside of his pocket, and took his leave. Passing downstairs he gave Marie a quick kiss on her cheek, while she discussed the different types of coffee exports she offered, before heading for the door.

As if it was a second thought, Marie called after him, "It'll be a full moon tonight."

Pausing in the doorway, Kurloz looked back at his guardian and nodded his head in full acknowledgement of what she really meant, "I believe it will be quite lovely."

"Indeed. Make sure you are home in time for dinner dear." She quipped back, returning her attention back to her customer in dismissal.

Kurloz made his way down the streets of New Orleans in haste, slipping his top hat over his thick black hair. He knew every back alley, twist, and turn within the growing city, and before one could even blink, he stood before the Smithers' residence. Stepping up onto their porch steps and giving the door a couple knocks with his knuckles, waiting for an answer. A few moments later the door swung open, and Mrs. Smithers gave him a beaming smile. Mrs. Smithers looked far older than her actual age. She was only about thirty years of age, and yet her face seemed weathered and ancient. The most beautiful feature for her had to be her smile, a collection of pearly teeth all set in a perfect row.

"Well hello Kurloz, we weren't expecting you. Are you here to meet the new neighbors? I hear that the child of the family is absolutely gorgeous."

"No ma'am, mother simply wished for me to send her regards." Kurloz pulled out the envelope and vial from the inside pocket of his coat, handing it over to her with a nod of his head. Mrs. Smithers quickly took the delivery from his hands and slipped it into the pocket of her dress, giving a small laugh.

"Well I do hope you will stop by next time for a cup of tea and a nice chat perhaps."

"Of course Ms." He replied, stepping down and away from the doorway, ready to head back towards home.

Something distracted him though. It was a mere flash, and later he would be unsure as to how he hadn't noticed it before, but there she stood. Smither's had been right, this creature was far beyond anything he had seen before. She was only about five feet tall, if that, a child in height compared to him. Her thick black hair was pulled back into a high bun with intricate braids going this way and that. She had ivory skin that reminded him of the snow Marie had had imported once for one of her remedies, and he had played with, causing her to be angry with him for weeks. Big green eyes behind thick black lashes were a startling contrast against her ivory skin and her braided up hair. A dress of some of the richest materials he had ever seen adorned her body, probably silks from China itself, accompanied by strings of pearls.

His breath was stolen by the sight, and little to his knowledge, so was his heart.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Sorry for the late update, I was really busy with iZumicon and finals last week. Everything is returning back to normal though, so yay. Hope you guys enjoy this update.

**2013**

"I thought we were all going to hang out tonight though." Terezi fussed, as Nepeta told them what had happened last night.

"I'm going to be here for months guys. I promise we will have plenty of time together, but I would feel awful if I didn't show up after not paying for my food. It'll only be for a few hours, and then tomorrow we can hang out together all day. Vriska has work today anyways, so I'm sure it is only going to make things easier."

"Can you get around without someone who knows the city though?" Vriska questioned, raising a pierced brow slightly, before biting into another mouthful of scrambled eggs.

"I can manage." Nepeta smiled bravely, before sipping on her orange juice.

"Fine, but since you will be gone tonight we have to go shopping tomorrow morning before the real party starts."

Nepeta raised her hands in surrender, smiling a cheeky grin before rising from the table and placing her dishes in the sink. The Leo watched as the water ran over the plate, her mind timidly wandering to the thought of Gamzee once again. She was unable to get the man out of her head, and had stayed up through most of the night haunted by some sort of strange familiarity in his looks. Her fingertips rubbed the inside of her left wrist, imaging his digits doing just that motion alone gave her an odd chill down her spine and made her bite her lip…

"EARTH TO NEPETA IS ANYONE IN THERE?!" cried out an exasperated Terezi, finally shocking Nepeta back to reality.

"Wha-!" Nepeta cried out, letting the ceramic plate clatter against the sink.

"I swear, it's in one ear and out the other with you! Vriska just left, want to play some DND? Or maybe we could watch TV, well you could, I'll just listen."

Soon, Nepeta and Terezi were playing round after round of DND, and to Nepeta's disbelief and slight anger, Terezi was beating her butt into the ground. "Best five out of six." She was commenting before she could stop herself.

"You have no way of beating me. All of your abilities are spent." Terezi snickered a bit before leaning back in her chair to stretch. The two girls had been at this for hours. "Hey, what time is it?"

Nepeta glanced at the digital clock on the microwave making her ears perk, "Oh jeez it's almost five o'clock… I should get ready…"

"Yeah yeah yeah… Go on already." Commented Terezi with a wave of her hand before heading into her bedroom and shutting the door behind her with a final click. The white noise of music quickly followed.

Nepeta rose from her seat and made her way to the dresser that stood beneath the mirror, rummaging through her things in search for a proper outfit. After picking out a simple sunflower kissed dress and black sandals to match, before wandering into the bathroom to start her shower. She stood under the heated water for a good thirty minutes, feeling the way the water pounded on her back and relieved all the stress away. Her mind lingered over the thought of Gamzee and the mysterious aura that surrounded him as she exfoliated every last inch of her skin.

She would be a fool to deny his attraction, but the whole thing seemed oddly out of character for her. Typically, Nepeta would never go on a date with a total stranger. The female's eyes shot open as she massaged the soap into her hair with her fingertips. _"Who said anything about it being a date?" _She thought to herself as the nervousness fluttered in her chest. He had never called it a date, just her coming to see his gig or whatever it was he was doing. Probably just a way for him to advertise his show. Nodding to herself in a silent form of self-assurance, Nepeta reminded herself of that, while rinsing the soap and conditioner out of her hair and off her body.

When she was done, Leijon wrapped a fluffy white towel around her head, and another tightly about her thin torso. Her slender little feet touched the cold tiled ground, and she made her way back into the living room where her clothes awaited her return. She rummaged for a bit, making absolutely sure this was the outfit she wanted to pick, before unwrapping the towel from about her head and working her fingers through her short chocolate hair.

Perhaps it was the assurance that Terezi was in the other room, and above all blind, that made her comfortable enough to walk into the living room so exposed. Due to this small misconception, Nepeta was not prepared for what would occur next. A voice came from the other side of the door, a loud sound that was almost like stones being tossed around in a bag together. "Rezi, I know you can hear me! Screw it I'm coming in whether you like it or not!"

And so he did. The owner of the voice, Karkat Vantas, the same one who Terezi was previously dating, entered the room without any further notice only to see a sight that he had not been expect. Instead of seeing Terezi on the couch listening to the TV and laughing at some stupid show, he saw a half exposed woman whom he'd never met before, and within an instant his face flushed candy red. His jaw dropped and the stammering began for a full two minutes before he managed to slap himself in the face, covering his unsuspecting eyes. Nepeta screeched a bit, and grabbed her blanket off the futon in hopes of some form of better cover.

"Sorry! Sorry! Please don't hit me!" Karkat called out, stumbling over his own feet in an attempt to back out the door.

The music in the other room stopped, and Terezi's bedroom door opened up and she walked out. "What the heck is going on in here?!"

"Uh, I didn't know you had company…" Karkat stuttered awkwardly.

Nepeta took her chance to start getting dressed, pulling her dress over her head and adjusting it as quickly as possible. A silence had filled the room after Karkat's statement, and the only thing that made any noise was Nepeta's frantic movements. Long after Nepeta was clothed and her cheeks were burning far less, Terezi's laughter filled the room and bounced off the walls as she held her stomach and tears rolled down her face.

"Oh man! I wish I could have seen your faces!" Terezi's laughter continued on, even bringing her to the point of weak knees. Eventually she was in the position of laying on the floor and making a fool of herself.

At this point Karkat had uncovered his eyes, and stood over her in an attempt to shout over her laughter, "Shut up! It's not funny Rezi!"

His point became moot though, and soon all three of them were laughing like a hysterical gaggle. The chaos ended eventually though, and when it did, the three of them sat in a loose circle, winded. Karkat put out his hand towards Nepeta, giving it a small shake and an embarrassed smile.

"Sorry for walking in on you like that. I'm Karkat."

"Well it's a first for me, but I'm sure it's not the first time something similar has occurred. Besides, we all got a good laugh out of it. My name is Nepeta."

"Nepeta is from Montana. She, Vriska, and I all met online. This is her first time in the south." Terezi grinned like a fool, picking herself up just as the rest did and making their way towards the couch.

"Are you girls going somewhere?" Karkat questioned, a bit confused by Terezi's lax look compared to Nepeta's.

"Oh no, Nepeta has a date with Gamzee. Heh." Terezi replied, her eyes even giving a bit of a twinkle.

"It's not a date." Nepeta quickly commented, her cheeks warming up once again.

"Gamzee? Gamzee fucking Makara?" Karkat's eyes were as wide as the moon, "Gamzee, on a date?"

"It's not a date…" Nepeta helplessly tried to interject once more. Her face quickly shrinking into her hands.

"I know right? I didn't think he had it in him, even after he had been talking to that one girl online… The older one. What was her name again?"

"Jane. Her name was Jane…" Nepeta took her leave, making her way into the bathroom. While the two chatted it up, she started to put on her makeup and curl her hair. After about an hour of priming and prepping, she was ready for the evening. Stepping out of the bathroom, she found Karkat and Terezi still chatting about things as she slipped on her sandals and began to head towards the door.

"Nepeta don't think you can get off that easy!" Terezi called after. Blinking in surprise, Nepeta turned to look at Terezi in confusion. Karkat stood up and grinned. "So Karkles, how does she look?"

"She looks too good for him Terezi." She was a sight. The black sunflower material complimented her curves just enough for a first date, but didn't over-extenuate them. She had pin curled her hair so that the loops framed her face in cute little rings that were soft to the touch, and as usual she didn't wear too much makeup to cover up her natural glow.

"As I figured. Karkat, why don't you drive her down to the docks so she doesn't risk getting lost? Then when you get back we can talk about why you came over here in the first place." Terezi commented, taking a sip of water from her glass that sat at the coffee table in the room.

"Sure thing." Karkat shrugged, and grabbed his keys off the table. He opened the door for her as any gentleman would do.

"So, you're Terezi's ex-boyfriend, right? She used to talk about you a lot when we were online together."

"Yeah, we're just good friends now though. It was for the best. I was a bit unstable at the time. Weird how things change." Karkat scratched his head a bit as he opened the driver's door and they both got in, "So how did you and Gamzee meet?"

"Well, Terezi technically. She said you brought her to his food truck and it was something we should all try." The seatbelt clicked and Nepeta took a good look at Karkat.

He was a decent looking guy. The guy reminded her of something off of an anime though with his albino looking skin and raven hair. Short in stature, only a bit taller than herself maybe, and pretty skinny. He wore clothes that looked too big to really fit him, and underneath his oversized grey jacket was a t-shirt with the word "GARBAGE" in pastel colors and flowers about it. Odd.

Karkat caught her looks though, and as if reading her mind her answered her questions, "I'm a severe anemic. It doesn't bother me too much so long as I watch my iron levels. I'm in a rock band with a couple of guys and the shirt is our logo. One of the guys thought that the picture portrayed against the actual meaning of the word "garbage" would be ironic."

"No I get it, on the outside you may look nice, but on the inside, the meaning of the word "garbage" is how you actually feel…"

"No one besides Gamzee has ever caught onto that before," He replied in surprise.

"When you originally go to school for an arts major, you learn to analyze silly things like that…" Nepeta smiled proudly, and watched as Karkat took a left-hand turn. "So, you started dating someone?"

"Yeah, she is actually our bass player. She can be fucking frustrating, but she means best." Karkat smiled a bit at that, as if remembering some sort of fond memory. "Anyways, I can't apologize about earlier enough, I came over to get some things of mine that Terezi has had in her possession for a while now."

"It's fine, really I'm over it. Thank you for the ride though."

"No problem," Karkat started as he pulled over to the curb, putting on his blinkers so that the car behind him would know to go ahead. "Hey, maybe you can come see us play some time. We always need the support…"

Nepeta opened the car door, but gave him a heartfelt smile, "Sure thing, that sounds like it'd be cool."

She was about to shut the door when Karkat startled her by stopping it from shutting with his hand, he leaned towards her, so that he could speak softly, "I meant what I said earlier Nepeta, you're too good for him… Just, be careful." He gave a small smile and pulled the door shut before she could respond though. The car pulled away, and Nepeta was left there on the sidewalk, watching the taillights of his vehicle go off.

She mulled over what he had said as she made her way towards the place that she had been instructed to go, looking for some sort of familiarity in the faces that surrounded her. It was almost seven, and so far she had no clue as to where he was. She found herself looking over the Mississippi River, elbows resting on the railing. Nepeta sighed softly, wondering what had happened that would have made him not show.

"Nepeta?" A vaguely familiar voice called from over her shoulder, and quickly got closer. When she turned around, Tavros was waving at her and coming in close. An oriental woman had been on his arm, but she didn't come any closer. "Hey, what are you doing out here?"

"Oh, hey Tavros." She replied, putting on her best smile, "Well I was supposed to meet Gamzee around here somewhere for his show, but I haven't seen him yet."

Tavros raised a pierced brow and laughed, "I think you just aren't looking hard enough." Tavros made a gesture to the woman behind him, as if telling her to wait for a minute, "Here, I'll show you."

Grabbing her wrist, Tavros brought her towards a noise that Nepeta couldn't remember hearing earlier. As they neared the crowd, Leijon could see bright flames being tossed into the sky before falling back down into a circle of people whom promptly cheered in excitement. When they finally made their way to be close enough to the action, Nepeta could in fact tell that the flaming whirls throughout the air were actually juggling pins, and Gamzee was the one performing this dangerous course. Makara kept his eyes on the heavy pins, catching them, spinning them behind his back, in front of his body, and finally into the air. His face was painted in a crude manner that seemed to be on purpose, to inflict a slight fear into those who looked upon it.

Tavros squeezed Nepeta's shoulder before slipping away into the crowd once more. After about an hour, the performance slowed down, the music came to a dull white sound, and Gamzee stopped. Many people had placed favorable tips inside of his makeshift tip jar, a pie tin that Nepeta had a feeling had served as his lunch tray only a few hours ago. At the end, Gamzee blew out his pins and put them into a soft velvet bag, placed the cash in his pocket, and made his way over to her while wiping his face off with a damp rag from his pocket. He wore that same lazy grin as before, only this time his eyes looked ablaze with excitement to see her.

"For a while there I wasn't sure you would show," he commented as he slipped an i-Pod dock into the bag as well, finishing up the last of his cleaning.

"I always keep my promises," She replied coyly, the words that Vantas had spoken earlier still whispering at the back of her mind. "That was quite the performance you did."

"Thanks, it's just something I picked up years ago." He shrugged a bit, putting the bag over his shoulder as they began to walk down the way. "Hungry? There's a nice little restaurant just down the road."

"You know, that sounds really good actually."

After a bit of mutual silence, they both arrived in the restaurant and made their way through the line. Nepeta ordered a soft pretzel bread club sandwich with fries on the side, while Gamzee decided on the Portobello mushroom burger and plenty of chips. It was odd, the silence between them seemed neither awkward nor morbid, simply a void between them. The crack in this void came when Nepeta noticed a particular painting on the far wall and made a face of distaste and yet interest. When Gamzee noticed the art piece, he too made an odd face but accompanied the expression with a noise of refusal.

"The man is a rising artist throughout the city, but I can't bring myself to enjoy it in any form." Gamzee muttered as he popped a chip in his mouth.

"His style is so disproportionate it pains me…" She grumbled softly, also consoling herself with an item of food.

Gamzee heard her commentary though, and in response, his eyes widened. "Really? Most women find his art style intriguing due to the romanticism within the pieces, I personally just see a poorly done portrait, and that is coming from a man of abstract conception."

"Abstract? You're an artist?" Nepeta raised a brow in doubt, part of her wondering if the man had simply said the comment in hopes of impressing her.

"Jeez, don't sound so surprised." He laughed at the flush of embarrassment that quickly filled her cheeks. "Yeah, I went to NOCCA for visual arts, it's right off Chartres Street. There's a nice little coffee shop about a block away from the campus, maybe I'll take you there some time."

"So you aren't attending anymore?" Nepeta questioned softly before nibbling on another french-fry.

"Ah, no. Don't get me wrong, I had a blast there. The campus was fantastic, the teachers interesting, and the people insane but… I don't know. One day I just lost the passion to continue. I think I felt like I was working rather than doing something I loved, you know? After three years of college, I packed my things up and haven't touched them sense. A few months later, I was working at a coffee shop, trying to figure out what the hell to do with the rest of my life when I got a call from Tav-bro telling me his parents were in the hospital. His parents had gotten into a wreck earlier that morning and died later that day, both of them had kinda taken me in so we took it pretty hard. His mom was constantly cooking, she always wanted to feed you, and so we randomly started writing down and scraping together all of her recipes. About a week after finding them all I invested every last penny into the food-truck and we've been doing pretty well sense. I make some spare cash with the gig and even find an artistic enjoyment in it…"

"Where did you pick up the juggling?" she asked curiously before taking another bite of her dinner.

"You're going to laugh…" Gamzee chuckled and shook his head while setting down his sandwhich.

"Oh common, it can't be that bad."

"Ah, well you know how I said Tavros's parents had kinda taken me in? That's because my mom was part of a circus…"

Nepeta's eyes widened and she shook her head, "You're joking."

"No not at all. My mother was trapeze performer. When I was born, I used to travel with them a lot, so I picked up odd tricks from the other acts. But when time came around for me to start school, my mom felt it would be a lot better for me to be in one place, have some stability you know? She was really close to Tavros's parents and so she bought a place out here and when she was gone I would stay with them," Gamzee coughed as if the topic was starting to make him uncomfortable, "Anyway, the circus was kinda a dying thing when I got into high school, still is I suppose. Eventually mom lost her job, which means she also lost her health benefits, and not long after that we discovered she had stage four cancer. Since we weren't able to afford treatment, she died within a few months."

"I'm so sorry…" Nepeta whole-heartedly spoke, her heart aching for him on a level she didn't even know she possessed. "How about your dad?"

"My dad? I never really knew the guy, when I was young he would occasionally stop by to see my mom in the show as well as bring me a toy or something, but eventually he just stopped. He was a rich guy, real high up in society, mom apparently met him on one of her trips to New York to see her sister. He had another family though, and I guess that family was just more important to him. Anyway. So how about you? What's your story?"

"My story? Well um, there isn't much to say. It's not nearly as upsetting or interesting as yours, fairly boring actually."

"That's okay, I find that the boring things are usually far more interesting then people give them credit for." Gamzee smiled sincerely and reached across the table to give her hand a firm squeeze.

"Ah, well my parents divorced when I was about fourteen, but it was pretty mutual, they just wanted to do different things. My mom wanted to travel, learn new things and take us all with her while my dad wanted a more white picket-fence lifestyle. She was extremely independent and while he admired that in her, he knew she would never allow herself to live so tamely… In the summers I would go visit my mom in whatever exotic location she happened to be, and during the school year I stayed with my dad. My dad remarried to a lovely woman who raised me as her own and I have never viewed as a step-mom. She had had a son with her late-husband, and her son is about two years older than me. Equius is my step-brother, but more so he's my best friend. Although he's always been far too over-protective. Currently, I am trying to figure out what exactly to do with my life. I originally went to MSU to study realism and painting, but I just kinda lost interest in it being a professional career…"

Nepeta glanced up at Gamzee from the lip of her water glass, and a small flutter filled her chest at the look in his eyes and the deep mystery behind them that left her feeling like she had known him for a million years already. His expression was only filled with a warm understanding, no judgment or shock for not knowing what her future should look like. For the rest of the night the two talked about art, music, people, their childhoods, anything and everything. All the while Nepeta couldn't help but feel the odd warmth of having finally come home.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Notes:

Okay, so this update is fairly short, but that's okay because I needed to progress Kurloz and Meulin's story some more. There are some things I would like to point out, I am -not- the most educated on the streets of New Orleans's during the 1800's. I am going off of the fact that I know Marie's Laveau's home was on Anne's St, making this part of the story rather difficult to work with. As a side note, I have some really great fluffy chapter's coming up that I am so excited to write so please bare with me and the important back story stuff. Yay!

That being said, I have some other news. I currently have begun to post my original work on my new Tumblr page, my username is the-galactic-outlaw, in case any of you are interested in reading non-fanfiction science fiction, I try to post a log daily. You can read more about the story, and the blog in my about page. I hope you all will take some time to check it out.

Hope you all enjoy.

Late 1860's

He had no idea what came over himself, but Kurloz followed the beautiful woman for the rest of that day. He kept a healthy distance, observing from the shadows all of her soft ways; the way she moved her body with a simplistic form of poise and grace, he listened to the musical tone in her voice, and enjoyed the glimmer of mischief in her eyes. Kurloz was shocked by the way she easily made friends, speaking to the baker in the French district as if though she had known him her whole life. Composing a plan, he finally began to move into action as she took in hand a bag of freshly baked bread.

Kurloz moved swiftly, and right as she turned to walk away, her body met his, the bread fell from her hands and onto the muddy ground. Makara acted shocked and as if though the setup was a complete accident. He quickly knelt down, helping her to pick up the ruined sack of bread, apologizing with sincerely.

"My apologies miss…"

"It's fine, I should have watched where I was going. These streets are small but yet so busy." She sighed, and looked over the ruined bread in dismay, knowing it was worth nothing more than pig food now.

"Here, allow me." Kurloz gave her a hand and helped her to her feet so that she wouldn't ruin her dress any further, before going through his pockets with a frown. He was sure he had money in them. She was watching him closely, and because of this he was very careful in deciding his next move. "Wait right here."

Kurloz walked inside of the bakery, made his way to the counter, and waited to catch the baker's attention. In the meantime, Kurloz quietly looked over the baker's wares, waiting for the baker to realize his presence. When the baker did realize that he was waiting on him, Mr. Edwards quickly finished up with whatever costumer had been in front of Kurloz and rushed over to see what it was he commanded.

"What are you doing here? I paid your witch of a mother back, now get out of my shop." The baker hissed venomously.

"Now Mr. Edwards, is that anyway to speak to the man who saved you from being smothered in your sleep by your own wife, or perhaps finding yourself at the bottom of the Mississippi River? I'm fairly certain no one would be interested in raising your corpse with an attitude like that." Kurloz replied softly, knowing already that the baker would not be winning this battle.

He was right of course, soon the man had a face as white as parchment, and he was stammering like an idiot, "What can I do for you Mr. Makara?"

"I'm so glad you asked. I will be taking that fine piece of work there delivered to 419 Lafitte Avenue," he started out, pointing at a five layered cake, topped with rich butter-cream icing. "Put some of your famous frosted lilies on there too. Hm, then I would like five fresh loaves of bread to go with me."

"Sir, I'm afraid that that cake has already been purchased…"

Kurloz paused, looking up at the baker, "Shame they won't be receiving what they asked for this evening, isn't it Mr. Edwards?"

"I'll have it delivered right away…" He muttered begrudgingly, before placing five loaves into a brown sack and handing them over to Kurloz, "Have a nice day, sir."

"You too Edwards, thank you." Kurloz grabbed the package, adjusted his top hat, and stepped outside to where the woman awaited him. He handed her the package and smiled, "My apologies miss. I'm afraid I never caught your name."

"Oh my! Thank you… My name is Meulin, I'm from the house of Leijon."

"It's lovely to make your acquaintance." He gave a soft grin knowing that a name was all he would need.

"And your name? I've given you mine and yet find myself empty handed."

Chuckling, he replied, "My apologies. My name is Kurloz Makara, but I am adopted into the house of Laveau."

"Interesting." She commented softly as the two began walking in no specific direction.

A voice inside his head screamed at him, banged its little fists against the walls of his skull and told him to stop before it was too late, he wouldn't though, he couldn't. He listened to her speak of her journey from Paris, the current highlight of social society. As a noble woman, there wasn't a night when she didn't attend a gala, and yet she had found herself in dull company, and longed for a change of scenery. Her father had decided to open a business in the America's, and as a result, they immigrated to the prospering lands.

Kurloz told Meulin about how he couldn't remember parents, and could only recall Marie. He had been nothing more than an orphan on the streets that she had taken pity upon, and yet now he was the heir to her hard earned business. Kurloz spoke of his band, a group of men who played instruments on the streets for fun and entertainment. The spoke of everything and anything, with the exception of the fact that Kurloz would be doomed if his mother knew what he was up to.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: Sorry for the late update guys, I've been hammered with class lately since finals are coming up. This chapter isn't too big, I thought it would be bigger, but I couldn't find a good way to transition to the next scene, so I thought that it was a good place to quit the update. I've also been having to do a lot of new research, I'm familiar with Wicca, but Haitian and Southern culture has been a lot of new study for me, so I hope you can forgive me if I am not spot on. Hope you all enjoy this new chapter.  
>Shout Out's<br>Haus of Lexy: Sorry for the late response to your review, but I am glad you are enjoying the story so far, and hope you will continue to read and review. I love love love when I get to hear back from the readers.

Guest: Well hello stranger! Thank you for your sweet review. I think maybe the giga-pause caused a lot of the fans to die off, and could have hurt me in the process. (That's okay though.)

**2013**

"Hey sleepy-head, wake up or you are going to miss the parades!" Terezi called out to Nepeta, who was groggily pulling herself up from off the couch to the tantalizing smell of bacon and eggs.

"Still in your dress from last night I see." Vriska commented casually, as the Leo made her way to the kitchen bar and sat down at one of the stools. In the background, she could hear the sound of cheers and loud music coming from the streets.

Nepeta looked down at herself, and sure enough she was still in her now wrinkled sundress, her hair a bedridden mess, and her makeup that of someone who'd had one too many to drink. "So what went down last night Nepeta? Any nasty details to tell?" Terezi wiggled her brows.

"Ew." Vriska quipped, before slapping Terezi's hand in an attempt to keep her from eating another piece of bacon.

A fake cry of pain followed, before Terezi was back to grilling Nepeta. "So, what did you two do?"

"Well," Nepeta started out, rubbing her eyes while she scolded herself for having stayed out with the man till three A.M. talking and sleeping in till past noon. "We uh, well we just talked for the most part. We talked about art, trash polka, our pasts, interests, hobbies, that sort of thing I guess…"

"Sounds like a bore." Terezi snickered, earning a light shove from Vriska, almost causing her to fall off the counter she was sitting on.

Nepeta finished rubbing the sleep from her vision and took a good look at the two. Vriska in a set of spider decorated under-wear and brazier, with nothing more than an oversized button-up to cover her body. Terezi was dressed in a pair of boxer-shorts that had pixel dragons across them, an oversized t-shirt, and miss matching socks. Nepeta blushed at the thought of her fully concealing kitten pajamas. Vriska handed Nepeta a plate of bacon, scrabbled eggs, and toast, before leaning on the counter and sipping a glass of orange juice.

Nepeta began to dig in, not realizing just how hungry she was, "Eggs and bacon for lunch?"

"We all kinda woke up late. Guess none of us got a good night's sleep." Vriska shrugged, turning off the stove top and replacing the spatula in hand with a piece of bacon.

"Are we not going shopping this morning?" Nepeta questioned after swallowing a mouthful of eggs.

Terezi grinned bashfully, and shook her head, "I totally forgot that everything here is pretty much shut down on Mardi Gras, but Vriska did me a solid and picked up some masks and jewels for today, last night."

"Yeah, now let's talk about some rules Lejion." Vriska commented, drawing the other female's attention. "Mardi Gras is great, but it wouldn't be a surprise if you saw some boobs tonight. Let me make one thing clear, if anyone, and I mean _anyone_ says it's a tradition to flash your breasts for any reason, tell them to go straight to hell. Unless you for some ungodly reason wish to show your sisters to the world, don't give them your time. Also make sure you have your purse or wallet in front. Better to keep thieves from getting handsy…" Vriska paused as if making sure she hadn't forgotten anything, "Oh yeah, the stuff is in the bedroom so I'll be right back."

"Man she can be bossy… She means best though, just in her own way." Terezi frowned, placing her feet on the ground. "There are some pretty cool things to do today. Parties, food, carnivals, parades… that sort of stuff. Anything stand out to you?" Terezi questioned as another roar from the streets outside threatened to fill their apartment, and Vriska walked back in with a bag.

She set it down on the bar, and began pulling things out. "So, I was going to go to one of the places down the street that sell the usual stuff, but I actually ran across a vender on the streets. I don't recall seeing him there before," Vriska frowned slightly at this, "But he said he's been selling stuff in New Orleans for years so…" She gave a shrug. "Anyways, he had some pretty unique stuff so I thought it'd be kind cool. He was weird though, he had his face painted all white, and was wearing a ton of purple and black. He seemed good humored for a quack though… You couldn't really get much out of him with those damn shades on…" She muttered as she laid the last of the items on the table. One of the polished black masks reminded Nepeta of a cat, and was lined with silvers and olive tones. Another had the face of a dragon, while the final one was clothed in spider-web lace.

Picking one up to look it over, Nepeta frowned, "They seem oddly out of place for Mardi Gras… but they're very pretty…" She murmured softly.

It was quiet for a minute, and all three girls jumped a bit at the sound of Terezi's phone going off. Terezi picked up the phone, and stated, "Take call."

"Hey Terezi, its Gamzee. Me and Tavros where wondering what you ladies are planning on doing tonight?"

Nepeta bit her lip at the sound of his voice, surrounded in the mix of a million others. "We were just about to discuss that Makara, did you guys have a particular suggestion?"

"As a matter of fact I did my wicked sister. Tavros and some of the others are wanting to hang out tonight. There's also been talk of a street rave going on tonight, we all thought we might hit it up. You ladies in?"

Nepeta glanced up at Vriska who had a look of annoyance on her face, Terezi on the other hand was grinning like a lunatic. "Well I hear no objections so I'd guess that is a yes."

"Sweet. I'll send Nepeta the directions. See you all then."

"See you then. End call." The phone beeped, and Terezi placed the phone back on the kitchen counter.

"Well it would seem our night has been all planned out." Vriska commented, still annoyed by the whole concept.

"Oh come on it'll be great. We can watch most of the parades from here, and then have a killer time tonight."

"If going to the rave is what you really want, then fine, but don't expect to see me dancing." Vriska replied with the raise of her hands.

"I don't think I expect to see much of anything." Terezi cracked, before laughing whole heartedly at her own joke.

Nepeta smiled and rolled her eyes, cleaning the last bit off her plate before hopping off the bar stool and onto the floor. She set her dish in the sink, giving it a good rinse and began heading towards her dresser. "I should probably find something to go with that mask, I believe I have a little black dress around here…"

"Nepeta have you ever been to a rave?" Vriska questioned with the raise of her brow.

"Well, no…" Nepeta started, only to be interrupted by Vriska once more.

"That's what I thought. Follow me, we're about the same size so I should have something that will work for you." Vriska took Nepeta's hand, leading her into the bedroom, which to be quite frank, was a disaster.

A dark blue comforter and the black sheets to match laid strewn about top of the queen-sized bed. Clothes of ever order, books, and other miscellaneous objects were tossed about the room without a care, and the whole scene made Nepeta question how Terezi made it safely about the room. Vriska went to the closet, pushing things aside before tossing out a pair of ripped skinny-jeans and a t-shirt that was shredded in the back, onto the bed.

"It's like a big dance, lots of loud music and dirty dancing… I'm sure that Gamzee would enjoy seeing you in that little black number, but for the sake of your own personal comfort and mine, I have to advice that you wear that instead. It may be a little looser in the cleavage area for you, but that shouldn't matter too much. You are a size seven still, right?"

"Yeah, I still have those shorts you sent me for my birthday." Nepeta replied as she picked up the clothing Vriska had lain out for her.

"Well good, then those should fit you just right."


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Hey guys, so first things first I am sorry about the late update but finals and holidays have me on high demand. This update is ridiculously short, but you should probably expect that for all 1860 updates for now. The next two updates I predict will be rather lengthy, and probably hold quite a bit of tension. Now, just because this is short doesn't mean you shouldn't read it. Also, I am trying something knew with the shout outs.

In part of this chapter the word "Loa" will come up. I would like to clarify one thing before we begin, Loa are -not- gods. Loa, a part of Haitian culture, are spirits, that are worshiped by followers known as Voudon. We will go into more depth about this subject later, but for now I just want to clarify that Loa are spirits and not gods.

On a writer's note, I am also posting a new story, which is about an alternate universe involving any and all Homestuck characters, which will be listed under _Apocalypta. _WARNING: This series of interconnecting stories will hold content about religion, and many types of religion, so if that bothers you, please don't read. I felt the desire to write about apocalypses using religious contents as well as scientific contents, plus I just felt like writing some Dave stuff and that happened. If you are interested or would like more information, I will be posting that so feel free to look, and know that it will be on both Archive of Our Own ad , just as all my content is.

On a personal note, I would like to wish all of you Happy Holidays, and for any fellow gamers reading this: (OH MY GOSH THEM STEAM SALES, AM I RIGHT LADIES, GENTLEMEN, AND/OR THOSE WHO DO NOT WISH TO IDENTIFY WITH GENDER PRONOUNDS, OR AM I RIGHT? GOOD STUFF.) Also, I hope you enjoy this update.

Shout Outs:

SmileJust2Smile: _"Oh my gosh! This story is amazing. Also, which characters are you going to include in this? Will it just be the trolls?"_

A: I am so glad you are liking it. I was a bit worried when working through some of the kinks. I am planning on adding more characters, but sometimes when writing and re-writing I change my mind, so there is no definite answer to that. I can firmly state that it will not be just the trolls, I am planning on bringing our beloved Witch of Space into the story very VERY soon.

FromTheVoidOfMyMind: _"Oh! I can't wait for more! Please update as soon as you can. I'll be here to keep reading and I'll be sure to share this story with all my friends."_

A: First of all can I just express how much I am adoring your username?! It's pretty darn amazing. I'm sorry if my updates are spastic, I have a hard time keeping schedules, and I hope you will and that your friends will love it as much as you do. I am always excited to hear positive reviews from the readers.

* * *

><p><strong>Late 1860's <strong>

"A party?"

"Yes mama, a party. Think of all the connections we could make, the possibilities!"

"I think I'm still upset with you for that stunt you pulled last night."

"Mama, sweet sweet mama. What ever can I do to earn your forgiveness for my transgressions last night?" Kurloz said, as he looked at his mother with pleading eyes.

Marie made a noise of distaste, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her well-endowed chest as she looked up at her son with skepticism. Last night had been a full moon, and as was tradition they were to make a sacrifice to all of the Loa out of respect, but namely to the Loa Kalfou, whom Kurloz had dedicated his followings to. "You are lucky I was willing to take care of your offering for you…" the lady paused, giving a small huff before shaking her head in dismissal, "But mostly you are lucky I have a terrible time telling that devilish face of yours no."

Kurloz grin broke out over his face, his arms reaching out to envelope his mother in a warm embrace, kissing her cheek with whole hearted affection. "Thank you mama, you won't regret this one bit. I promise!"

Madame Laveau made a disgruntled noise, brushing off her son and shaking her head as she adjusted her garbs. "You have said that many a times to me child. I'll see to it arranged, in the meantime it would be best for you to go see to the mess you made last night. Now get on out of here before I change my mind."

Grinning like a fool, Kurloz bowed in the most respectable manner he could manage, before rushing down the wooden staircase and outside. Right at the side of the home, one could find a locked set of doors that led down into the cellar. Only two people in the household held a key to these doors, a key which opened up a world of secrets. With a quick twist and click, Kurloz placed the key back into his pocket, patting it with an odd form of affection as he descended into the darkness, where the spirits awaited his return.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Notes:

I know, it's been a while. I've been lazy. Honestly I'm running out of excuses, so yeah… just… Hopefully you will enjoy this garbage I have written for you. Working on my original story has become mentally tolling, but I am making progress, and quite excited about it. So, yeah, it's late and I am starting to ramble, so I'm just… Sorry about that.

Shout Outs:

SmileJust2Smile: "_Eeehhhh! Yeah, the Witch of Space. Besides her is there going to be any there of the humans in the near future? Also, where did the idea of Madame Laveau come from? The name seems familiar but I can't remember from where. I keep thinking of the Percy Jackson series when I read it. Also, thank you for the shout out it was really nice to see that you had read my review. _

_Thank you & stay awesome & keep up the good work._

_:)"_

A: To be completely honest, I am not for sure if there will be more besides Dave and Jade, or not. I've been tossing around a few other characters, but no one is really settling into the story very well, so only time will really tell I suppose. There is some extra information in the author's notes over Madame Laveau in Chapter 3. She is actually a historical figure, known locally as _the_ voodoo queen of New Orleans. If you are thinking of a particular reference to her name, the most recent would be _American Horror Story: Coven_, season 3. They have also done some segments about her on the History Channel, so maybe on there? No problem, I really love getting feedback from my readers, so I always try to return the favor.

**2013**

The three women traversed the streets of New Orleans with broad smiles upon their faces. Vriska pointed things out, and Nepeta gladly looked to them, rewarded with a belly full of laughter. Despite her disability, Terezi also seemed lost in the magic of Mardi Gras. Parades parted throughout the crowds, beads of multiple colors clattering at their feet, and the smell of southern cooking and alcohol filled their senses. As they made their way throughout all of the chaos, familiar faces grasped their attention in the distance.

Gamzee stood amongst a crowd of people, his eyes catching theirs and a grin plastering itself across his easy face. He raised a hand and gestured them closer, followed by Karkat and Tavros who called out to grasp their attention. After some time spent weaving through the sea of limbs and bodies though, they found themselves together again. Karkat had his arm around a woman about the same height as him, with long black hair and a pair of round glasses on her face. She wore tight black pants and an atomic graphic tee, as well as a letter bag that crossed her torso and had buttons covering them with the names of bands on them such as _Slayer_, _Slipknot,_ and _Lamb of God._

Beside her stood a tall man with a sun-kissed face and fair hair, who wore pair of shades, a few strings of beads across his neck, and the only thing he held beside him was an ice cold beer. Tavros stood to the other side of Karkat, a young woman of what Nepeta could only guess was oriental descent, whose arm was linked through his. She appeared to be the same woman from the other night, and the two of them seemed to be together in a different manner than what Karkat and his girl were though, simply two close friends amongst their peers.

"Glad you guys could make it after all. I am assuming you let Terezi take the lead since I could have seen my next three generations pass in the time it took you to get here." Nepeta light-heartedly rolled her eyes behind her mask, and Terezi threateningly shook her fist.

Karkat sneered from behind his classical Marde Gras mask, and Jade lightly pinched him. "Jade, this is Nepeta. Terezi's friend I was telling you about the other day."

"It's nice to meet you." Jade stepped forward, her hand going into Nepeta's with what seemed to be a sincere greeting, but if Nepeta didn't know any better she would have sworn to seen a flicker of alarmed hesitation in those emerald eyes of hers.

"Same." Nepeta replied softly, before raising her hand to adjust her mask.

Tavros spoke up next, introducing the woman to his left. "Terezi, Vriska, and Nepeta, this is my close friend Aradia."

Aradia gave a small wave and a smile paired with it. "It's nice to meet all of you."

The fair haired blond stepped forward and gave a half-hearted wave. "And I'm Dave. No one is going to introduce me so I figured I should do it myself."

A look of distaste seemed to stain Karkat's face as he looked to Dave, then muttered softly, "Dave is part of the band I was telling you about earlier Nepeta."

At some point during the cordialities, Gamzee had made his way to Nepeta's side and his lips went down to her ear to whisper softly, "You look really nice."

Nepeta glanced up at him, their lips mere inches away as a deep flush filled her cheeks and a shiver ran down her spine. "HEY DOUCHEBAG ARE YOU COMING OR NOT?!" The Capricorn's eyes flickered up towards Karkat's summons, and if one had paid any attention they would have seen the daggers that threatened in his vision as well. Gamzee stood up straight then, and his arm looped about Nepeta's torso in a mix of causality and protectiveness. Nepeta and Gamzee both walked amongst their friends, each couple hanging onto on another, and Dave wandering around in the mix of it all.

They made their way towards the distant noise that grew with each step they took. Beads flew this way and that, masked faces passed each of their vision, and cheers and drink filled hands raised to the air. Parades floated by, each one colored in multicolored visions of yellow, purple, green, gold, and any other color you could probably think of. As they grew closer, Nepeta could now see the tops of jumping head as people moved to the rhythm of a harsh bass, bodies clashing against bodies and lights flooding over them. Gamzee lead them all into the thick of it, and their bodies individually began to move to the synthetic sound. It began with a hesitant sway, and then one by one each body began to find its own fluid movement.

Tavros' and Aradia's were a soft bounce that leaned into one another but never really crossed that unspoken boundary. A smile lit her face, and Tavros made an awkward expression as he did his best to keep in time to the beat. Dave took to dancing by himself, his beer abandoned and allowing him a freeing of movement. His actions were slow and much less eccentric compared to the other two, as if he was automatically moving by no force of his own. Jade's arms were looped back, her hand caressing Karkat's neck as he awkwardly tried to dance behind her, and despite his talent in music, he found no real settlement in dancing. He settled for moving his hips with hers though, and burying his face in her neck. Terezi and Vriska were the most intimate of the group, and if Nepeta didn't personally know Terezi she would have never pegged her to be blind. The two bodies grinded against one another in ways Nepeta didn't even know existed, and yet they seemed to only find a humor out of it, rather than an erotic pleasure.

Nepeta looked to Gamzee, his broad grin pulling up as he looked down at her, before waving her to follow after him. Within moments he had vanished into the crowd, and Nepeta found herself hopelessly chasing after him. Her eyes went wide as she found herself in the middle of the crowd, hundreds of bodies and a multitude of disguised faces surrounding her. The lights played tricks on her vision as she searched for him, and occasionally she would find his face, his eye focused on her like a jaguar looking at its first meal in ages. She found herself spinning, her eyes frantically searching for him, her voice lost in the ominous sound of the music above her head, and yet when she turned he was there.

The Leo stared at his chest, her heart hammering away as their eyes found one another and his face lowered towards hers. Their bodies began to move instantaneously, two pieces perfectly matching one another's movements as they collided in a chaotic balance. She found herself trembling underneath his hands, two pairs of talented digits roaming over every inch of her. Beads of sweat collected at the back of the necks and caused locks of hair to cling to their skin, both bodies moving in perfect synchronization. There was nothing dirty or crude about their motions, and yet any observer would admit that there was some sort of forbidden temptation in their presence of one another.

Gamzee's hands gripped onto her hips, pulling hers to his. They moved together, feeling one another's every movement as if though it held its life within it. Their noses touched, her large eyes looking up at his from behind her own mask which hid the flushing of her cheeks. Nepeta's breath was lost, and she would have sworn to not having caught it until all was said and done. They continued like that, no matter what song played the two kept moving perfectly, but eventually it did stop and the magnetic force that held them tightly together began to fade away. Gamzee found himself sweating and bothered, now every look at her causing a tugging in the pit of his stomach. Nepeta's breaths came out in ragged gulps, each one skipping down her throat and into her lungs. His fingers found hers, and though they did not tie together, the two of them moved forward in search of the others.

When they did manage to run into them, they all began making their way down the streets of New Orleans, each of them at some point finding a drink in their hands. The group made its way forward, singing and laughing as their arms threw around the others' shoulders, and their faces became warm with liquor. Gamzee stopped at one of the many trees that lined the paved roads though, and took one of the glass bead necklaces off, sliding it over the tree limb.

"My mom, she used to do that every year, told me it was for good luck." His fingertips hold one of the single beads between them, rolling it over his finger and examining it. Nepeta looked to her own neck, slipping off the jewelry and hanging it on the branch just beside his. The two of them stood side by side, looking at the beads sparkle in the soft star light, her head falling on his shoulder, and his arm winding around her waist.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Notes:

So I may be reconsidering smut… I don't know, I'm playing with the idea, but to be honest I am really enjoying just the mere temptation of it but not actually diving into it. _If_ it comes up I will give out a lemon warning beforehand for those who don't want to read it.

I also would like to say thank you to those of you who are reading and reviewing this, it means a lot to me. Especially since you all have to put up with my sporadic updates. Hope you all enjoy!

Shout Outs:

SmileJust2Smile: _"Ehhhhhh! I was so happy when I saw the notification that you had updated. I love how amazingly you made this story and I'm excited for more!_

_Hope you had a happy New Year."_

_Stay awesome!"_

A: I'm so glad to hear that! I am trying to make sure these updates are very descriptive, since lately there has been very little dialogue, so I am happy you enjoyed it. To be honest you guys' reviews really helps push me to keep updating, so _thank you_.

I had a wonderful New Year, and hope you did the same. J

FromTheVoidOfMyMind: "_IT IS THREE IN THE MORNING AND I JUST WOKE UP MY PARENTS AND PETS WITH MY SQUEAL I LOVE YOUR STORY TO NO END I DON'T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND HOW PERFECT I THINK THIS STORY IS AND HOW MUCH I WANNA SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO THE POINT OF I GUARANTEE I WILL CRY IF ANYTHING GOES BAD FOR EITHER LEJION/MAKARA COUPLE._

_Please don't stop writing this story is life."_

A: Oh my gosh! I didn't think that chapter was squeal worthy, but while I am happy it made you that excited, I hope you didn't get into any trouble. I am not going to guarantee the safety of either couple or any of the other characters, sadly it is not in my nature, but I can guarantee that _if _something bad were to happen to either couple or any of the other characters, I would be crying right beside you. (I promise I feel pain towards characters, despite the rumors.)

**Late 1860's**

Kurloz and Meulin's fingertips grazed one another as the two danced in unison. Their feet moved in such a perfect fluidity, that it was hard to believe the two had never danced together before this night. The rest of the room made casual conversation as they moved about the room, but for some odd reason no words were needed to be said between these two. Meulin found herself enchanted with the dark mystery that stood before her. He was like nothing she had ever seen before, and each touch of his skin against hers sent a tidal wave of chills down her spine.

Mituna, the gentleman's closest friend, and his fiancé Latula stood at the far end of the room. Only half listening to what the girl had to say, his focus was far more concentrated on the two who stood in the center of the room, moving with such perfect grace. Their lips never moved, even as they grew but a breath away. He could admit that the woman was quite attractive, bearing angelic like features. Latula was slim and willowy, while this girl barely rose to the average height, and was hiding what Mituna could only assume were wondrous curves beneath that petticoat.

As the song came to an end, Kurloz bowed and Meulin took her curtsy. Those who had not been dancing applauded for those who did. And Kurloz gave a soft smile to the maiden who dared to look back at him behind that feline mask. The jester offered his arm, not daring to let her out of his sight that night, and rightfully so. More than once, a man or two asked to whisk her away onto the floor, but each time was met with an apologetic no. She never left his side, her fingers gracing over his when they dared to be so bold, and yet no words were uttered between them, seemingly unneeded.

It was as if either one spoke, the magic would be broken, the dream come crashing back down to reality, and neither wished to see such a night end. Meulin was from a lineage of substantial wealth, and although Kurloz came from a family of great power, their coercions together would be seen as improper and of poor taste. He was madly in love with her though, and would only come to admit it on the eve of his own death. Kuloz had never believed in love at first sight, claiming it to be mere fantasy from that of a child's imagination.

At some point throughout the evening, when he was sure Laveau was nowhere to be seen, Kurloz managed to pull Meulin into the gardens to enjoy the change in the weather's humidity, and grace their lungs with much needed air. They could both hear the music, laughter, and chatter from within but despite all of this the noise from the dusty streets still overbore it. Kurloz and Meulin sat upon the stone bench that lie beneath the willow tree, where he dared to hold her hand within his own for the first time that night as the sound of the ongoing parades and drunkards filled their ears.

The night whispered softly, and above the stars smiled, their twinkling gazes accompanying the light of the moon in a melodic symphony. He sat there for a good twenty minutes, just enjoying the feeling of her small hand, almost fragile-like in its existence, covered by a thin layer of creamy lace and shiny ribbon. She let him enjoy the tender comfort of her thin fingers resting in his palm, and while he did so she examined his features as well. Her eyes took in the jagged edge of his jawline, now fully exposed for her eyes to see with his hair slicked back as it was.

It reminded her of a knife's edge, deadly and yet inviting. Much like a blade, it invited her to graze her fingers over it by simply haunting her with the very danger it possessed. Internally she fought the urge to reach out and graze her fingertips over that facial bone, but finally let herself fall into such an innocent temptation. As she did, ever so slowly, his eyes raised to look into hers, deep onyx pools with flecks of indigo and gold, hidden beneath the dark shadows of a jester's mask. Her vision faltered, and as she dared to let her fingertips graze his skin, she almost expected to watch a river of crimson flow from her own skin and bring this night to harsh reality.

His eyes continued to take her in lest this be the only night he dared to hold her, his vision soaking in the sight of her soft, creamy, and exposed shoulders which practically glowed in the moonlight that was graced by the touch of her iridescent skin. Kurloz's greedy view continued onwards, soaking in the sight of her collarbones rising and falling with each timid breath she took in, and his lips burned with a desire to caress those bird-like bones. His eyes traveled over the top swells of her breasts, two perfect mounds that seductively flirted with the idea of being so exposed, but then his eyes made their way back up the slope of her neck. They finally rested on her lips, two pink petals that trembled slightly, and that he yearned to touch with his own mouth.

As the two of them continued onwards, locked in a frozen desire, the night moved forward but they did not, only focused on the fiery need for one another. Somewhere upon the grounds, anger burned like an eternal flame behind a hidden gaze, as the pair stood on the edge of temptation and deceit. Beyond the horizon, a storm brewed, and the rain began to fall while beneath their feet a contract of blood was forged at such blasphemy, and a lineage doomed for eternity.


End file.
